How can use multiple replacements with a user input string?

Question

I am trying to replace multiple characters with white-space characters from a user inputted string. The ultimate goal of the program is to count the words and count punctuation as white space. Such as hey...man counting as two words. However, only my last replacement works, I know that why, but I do not know how to remedy the issue without creating multiple variables to do so, and I do not want to use an array either. So here is my code.

import java.util.Scanner; 
class CountWords
{
    public static void main(String args[])
    {

        Scanner scn=new Scanner(System.in);
        int wordCounter=0;
        String sentence;
        String tempPhrase = "";

        System.out.print("Enter string >>> ");
        sentence = scn.nextLine();
        tempPhrase = sentence.replace('.' , ' ');
        tempPhrase = sentence.replace(',' , ' ');
        tempPhrase = sentence.replace('!' , ' ');
        tempPhrase = sentence.replace('?' , ' ');
        tempPhrase = sentence.replace(':' , ' ');
        tempPhrase = sentence.replace(';' , ' ');

        for(int x=0; x < tempPhrase.length()-1; ++x)
        {
            char tempChar = tempPhrase.charAt(x);
            char tempChar1 = tempPhrase.charAt(x+1);
            if(Character.isWhitespace(tempChar) && 
            Character.isLetter(tempChar1))
                ++wordCounter;
        }


        ++wordCounter;
        if (wordCounter > 1)
        {
            System.out.println("There are " + wordCounter + " words in the 
            string.");
        }
        else
        {
            System.out.println("There is " + wordCounter + " word in the 
            string.");
        }

    }
}

After the first replacement, you should go `tempPhrase = tempPhrase.replace(...)` . — Arnaud, Mar 05 '18 at 15:40
Related: [String not replacing characters](https://stackoverflow.com/q/12734721) — Pshemo, Mar 05 '18 at 15:47

Bentaye · Answer 1 · 2018-03-05T15:46:48.193

sentence is never modified, Strings are immutable, replace returns a new String every time.

You need to do it this way:

tempPhrase = sentence.replace('.' , ' ')
    .replace(',' , ' ')
    .replace('!' , ' ')
    .replace('?' , ' ')
    .replace(':' , ' ')
    .replace(';' , ' ');

or

tempPhrase1 = sentence.replace('.' , ' ');
tempPhrase2 = tempPhrase1.replace(',' , ' ');
tempPhrase3 = tempPhrase2.replace('!' , ' ');
tempPhrase4 = tempPhrase3.replace('?' , ' ');
tempPhrase5 = tempPhrase4.replace(':' , ' ');
tempPhrase = tempPhrase5.replace(';' , ' ');

score 3 · Accepted Answer · edited Mar 05 '18 at 15:45

3

You can use replaceAll with a regexp.

tempPhrase = sentence.replaceAll("[.,!?:;]" , " ");

edited Mar 05 '18 at 15:45

Pshemo

122,468
25
185
269

answered Mar 05 '18 at 15:41

Federico klez Culloca

26,308
17
56
95

@Pshemo thanks. The quotes where a really stupid mistake. I'm just programming a lot in javascript lately. – Federico klez Culloca Mar 05 '18 at 15:45

How can use multiple replacements with a user input string?

2 Answers2